Australia

Australia has been a pioneer in election law. The secret ballot, generally called the Australian ballot, was first introduced in Victoria in 1855, and South Australia granted women the right to vote in 1892. Women have also made dramatic gains in representation, particularly since 1990. In modern elections, all citizens at least 18 years of age are eligible to vote. Voting itself is compulsory...

civic engagement

...use political and associational activities, both formal and informal, as conduits for promoting democratic health. Political engagement focuses on encouraging activities in public decisions, such as
voting, testifying at public meetings, or volunteering for campaigns. Associational participation typically takes place in the social arena and encourages volunteering in nonprofit organizations or...

Classical Greece

...government was the Assembly (Ecclesia), which met almost weekly—40 times a year—on the Pnyx, a hill west of the Acropolis. Decisions were taken by vote, and, as in many later assemblies,
voting was by a show of hands. As would also be true in many later democratic systems, the votes of a majority of those present and
voting prevailed. Although we have no way of knowing how closely...

Ecuador

Voting is required for literate Ecuadorans ages 18 to 64. If a political party fails to garner a minimum of 5 percent of the votes in two elections, it is eliminated from the electoral registry. Citizens not affiliated with a political party may also run for office. After Ecuador’s return to democracy in 1978, closed lists (where voters are only allowed to choose a party, not a candidate) and...

functions of elections

...by confirming the worth and dignity of individual citizens as human beings. Whatever other needs voters may have, participation in an election serves to reinforce their self-esteem and self-respect. Voting gives people an opportunity to have their say and, through expressing partisanship, to satisfy their need to feel a sense of belonging. Even non
voting satisfies the need of some people to...

game theory

Many applications of
n-person game theory are concerned with
voting, in which strategic calculations are often rampant. Surprisingly, these calculations can result in the ostensibly most powerful player in a
voting body being hurt. For example, assume the chair of a
voting body, while not having more votes than other members, can break ties. This would seem to make the chair more...

Jordan

A new electoral law, passed in June 2012, was immediately denounced by the opposition for retaining the aspects of the old
voting system that gave disproportionate weight to districts where support for the government was highest. When ʿAbdullāh called early legislative elections for January 2013, the IAF vowed to boycott them.

Oman

While the right to vote had previously been vested in a select number of individuals, particularly intellectuals and leaders, in 2003 universal
voting rights were extended for the first time to all Omanis over the age of 21. Political stability in Oman remained tied to the ability of the country to diversify economically beyond its ongoing dependence on oil, though. Oman’s dwindling oil...

United States

Voters go to the polls in the United States not only to elect members of Congress and presidential electors but also to cast ballots for state and local officials, including governors, mayors, and judges, and on ballot initiatives and referendums that may range from local bond issues to state constitutional amendments (
see referendum and initiative). The 435 members of the House of...

Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

amendment (1870) to the Constitution of the United States that guaranteed that the right to vote could not be denied based on “race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” The amendment complemented and followed in the wake of the passage of the Thirteenth and Fourteenth amendments, which abolished slavery and guaranteed citizenship, respectively, to African Americans. The...